Hello Strangers.

I’ve done it.

Last Tuesday, I completed the first draft of my first novel! It’s a day I’ve dreamed of since the seventh grade, and finally, it’s done. The draft itself is kind of abysmal; it’s very short, the characters need more work, the plot needs filling, etc., but now that it’s completed and I’ve had some time to think, I’d like to write about the process of making it.

The Ignition

“Steal like an artist” is a maxim that has caused controversy within creative communities for at least a couple of years now, but unabashedly taking inspiration from multiple sources (that part is important) to create something that’s yours is what creation is…So when my favorite side character died in a tv show I loved, I had to steal him…And change almost everything else. As soon as he died, a story immediately began materializing in my mind. The characters shifted, the setting changed drastically, the plot would come later, but there was the inspiration. Of all the story ideas I’ve had, I’m actually shocked that this is the one I managed to write.

Incubation + Creative Partners

As soon as I had the idea, I let it roll around in my mind for a few days, scheming aesthetics, the feeling of the story, relationships, and things I wanted to include. Once I had a bit of it figured out, I ran and got my younger sister. She and I have come up with stories together for years. We’d tell them to each other at night, we’d brainstorm during the day, and we’d show each other art we made for it. Creative partners are one of the greatest assets a person can have, because instead of regurgitating the same thoughts over and over, they offer new ideas. It helps to keep ideas from stagnation and death. She loved the idea of this character in Scotland, surrounded by an obscene number of castles, so every night for the next two months, we spent an hour every night just talking about everything we wanted to happen. This stage was literally just talking, but it led to something I’ve never done before.

The Outline

All my life, I assumed that if I just started writing, then the plot would fall into place. Really, I was just denying the fact that I was scared to write an outline because I didn’t know how. I started writing chapter headings with brief synopses, but that ended up being too specific, so I labeled them ‘sections’ instead. I ended up with about eight sections across seven pages, and I managed to figure out the basics of the entire plot. It took probably a month, and I was still very intimidated by the process, but it saved the story.

Writing It

I’ll be honest. There was about a four-month period where I only wrote six thousand words. I was frozen. When the New Year came, I had it in my resolutions to finish the first draft. About a week later I got to work. In my post on routine, I went through the things that helped establish an actual writing habit. I was lucky enough to have a couple of hours a day to write. That blessing also helped me to write the bulk of the draft in two months. I would check my outline, decide what needed to be written that day, and then imagine individual scenes and chapters that it could be fit into.

That was my process. Every process is different, but I hope this encourages you in your writing journey. You can find your own way and figure out what works for you.

Salutations,

–Mabel